Charles Derber, Author and Sociologist, discusses the failings of the American left through intersectionality.
For a while there, I was a real star. High up in my class at West Point, tough combat deployments in two wars, a slew of glowing evaluations, even a teaching assignment back at the military academy. I inhabited a universe most only dream of: praised, patted and highly respected by everyone in my life system and viewed as a brave American soldier. It’s a safe, sensible spot. For most, that’s enough. Too bad it was all bunk. Absurdity incarnate.
The truth is, I fought for next to nothing, for a country that, in recent conflicts, has made the world a deadlier, more chaotic place. Even back in 2011—or even 2006, for that matter—I was just smart and just sensitive enough to know that, to feel it viscerally.
Still, the decision to publicly dissent is a tough one. It’s by no means easy. Easy would be to go on playing hero and accepting adulation while staying between the lines. Play it safe, stick to your own, make everyone proud. That’s easy, intellectually immature—the new American way.
When you take the journey of dissent, you lose friends, alienate family, confuse confidants and become a lonely voice in your professional world.
“Thinking for Yourself”
“(The SMILE) RIP 1949-2011”
“Christopher Hitchens on the Afterlife”
“The Thinking Atheist’s Tribute to Christopher Hitchens”
“Christopher Hitchens: On Fascism”
Mohammad Saba’aneh, Palestinian Cartoonist, discusses the Israeli occupation of Palestine through his political cartoons.
Alfred McCoy, Harrington Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, explains the decline of the United States as a global power and the rise of the Chinese empire.
Stuart Ewen, Professor and Chair of the Department of Film & Media at Hunter College and author of ‘Captains of Consciousness: Advertising and the Social Roots of the Consumer Culture’ joins Chris Hedges for a conversation on the power of mass propaganda.
Alex Vitale, author of “The End of Policing” and Professor of Sociology and Coordinator of the Policing & Social Justice Project at Brooklyn College, discusses the origins of modern policing and how to prevent law enforcement from stripping away citizens’ rights. RT Correspondent Anya Parampil looks at the expansion of police powers.
George Lakey, author of “Viking Economics: How the Scandinavians Got it Right and How We Can Too”, joins Chris Hedges to discuss non-violent resistance against the corporate state. RT Corresponent Anya Parampil looks at successful non-violent tactics used in the civil rights movement.
On this week’s episode of On Contact, Chris Hedges is joined by trans rights activist Pauline Park.
Always Question Authority 